


I'll Keep You Safe

by Hypothetical_Warped_Spacetime



Category: Timeless (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, F/M, Kid Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-08
Updated: 2018-07-08
Packaged: 2019-06-06 23:19:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15205673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hypothetical_Warped_Spacetime/pseuds/Hypothetical_Warped_Spacetime
Summary: In moments like this, when Alice was terrified of the monsters that creeped in the night. He's transported back to his very last night with his other daughter, and he could almost feel the hard plastic of the water gun in his hands;  his tongue itching with empty promises of protection not unlike the ones he gives her.





	I'll Keep You Safe

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Owns Nothing. 
> 
> Kinda fluffy - kinda not - but mostly fluffy.

_\- I'll Keep You Safe -_

Flynn pulled the edge of his blanket down, propping a pillow against the headboard before he sat against it; a pen gripped between his teeth, his hand holding his tablet with a bulky and worn journal stacked atop it.

Lucy has been writing in them to recount the history of _before_ their traveling – since she could no longer travel she wanted (needed) the journals. Even if her memories couldn't recall what she wrote, it was soothing to her to know she preserved the original timeline, in some way, even if it was only herself that appreciated it. 

He opens the wikipedia page of Ulysses S. Grant, occasionally lifting the journal and cross referencing the bullet point things that she wrote before handing it off to him. Finding that there were only minor changes in Ulysses' life.

(The time team were very quick and efficient this mission, there weren't any hiccups for once.) 

Satisfied and more than a little relieved that the timeline didn't change too drastically; Flynn sets his things down on the bedside table before pulling the string on the lamp. There's a creak down the hallway as a door opens – he smirks before he grabs the pillow at his back and begins to clear space in the middle of the bed. His ears hone into the tiny footsteps as they raced down toward his room. 

The doorknob twists very slowly as she cracked it open; standing in the sliver of light that broke in through the gap. Looking up at him sheepishly. Her hands twisting and folding the hem of her sleeping shirt in front of her. Chestnut hair a tangled mess of delicate waves.

“Come on,” Flynn said quietly, smiling warmly at her as he gave a pat to her spot. The words were barely out of him before she's rushing up the foot of the bed; extra cautious not to disturb her sleeping mother.

He lets out a grunt of pain when she accidentally knees him in the groin. Tiny arms winding their way around his chest; nudging her face into the crook between his shoulder and neck. An exhale of relief escaping her once she was snuggled in and situated half on him and half on the bed. 

Flynn takes a moment to adjust his hold on her; the faint scent of strawberry shampoo still lingered in the hair that tickled his nose. His palm moved up and down the span of her back, rubbing in soothing circles. 

“You're okay.” he cooed, angling his head to kiss the side of hers. 

They stay frozen like this for several minutes. When her body started trembling ever so slightly; it took a while for him to realize she was silently crying. But when he does, Flynn pulls away from her tight hold as a growing wetness puddled on his skin. “Hey,” He said while craning his neck uneasily trying to catch a glimpse of her face. “What do I always tell you before bed each night?” 

The back of his finger skims down her cheek when she lifts away from his neck, erasing the tracks of her fallen tears. She sniffles a few times; unwrapping her arms and then placing a palm flat at the center of his chest, pushing upward until she was just slightly above his eyesight, holding his soft gaze. 

“That you'll never let anything happen to me.” Alice's quivering voice causes his heart to cave in upon itself. Her head drooping down, long hair moving forward to conceal her face- but Flynn saw the deep frown that settled its way onto her and it broke his heart all the more. 

Flynn hooks a finger under her chin, drawing her head back up, “Nothing will ever happen to you.” he vowed sternly. 

In moments like this, when Alice was terrified of the monsters that creeped in the night. He's transported back to his very last night with his other daughter, and he could almost feel the hard plastic of the water gun in his hands; his tongue itching with empty promises of protection not unlike the ones he gives her. “I promise.” he rasps, knowing full well that while goblins weren't a threat to his kids, Rittenhouse was still very actively trying to hurt them. And he'd be damned if he let them steal one more child from him. 

She pouts while nodding her head. “Can I stay daddy?”

This utter clone of her mother (with a few personality traits inherited from him that he just knew were going to cause him trouble later in life. _It was already causing him trouble now..._ ). Knew full well that he'd never say no to her. She was hardly even approaching six and was already too smart for her own good. 

He could just envision her curled under her blanket fighting off sleep. Tossing and turning in the dark as she waited out her mother. Alice had so much patience, and she knew that Lucy was less likely to cave into her. 

“Of course you can.” 

“Good,” Alice slips away from him entirely, taking her spot in the center of the bed, highly pleased with herself. “I know you checked under the bed, and all the closets, but Niko said monsters are smart, but goblins are way smarter... and they're not afraid of parents, they eat parents.” She rambles. Letting out an overly dramatic shudder that shakes the bed before twisting onto her side, looking up at him with big brown doe-eyes. 

_The Labyrinth_ was Nikola's favorite movie at Alice's age; but perhaps the goblins were a little much for her sprightly imagination. Something told him he should have asked Jiya not to let her watch it on the night she babysat, but the kids and Jiya were just so excited. And Lucy didn't seem all that opposed to it either, so he quieted his thoughts. 

Flynn struggles to withhold a laugh as he lays on his side, sliding off his pillow so he was a little more level with her. 

“It's not funny.” Alice says a little too loudly. 

He brings a finger up to his lips with a muted chuckle. 

“Sorry,” She mumbles dejectedly. “But, it's not funny. Stop smiling...” she warns, narrowing her eyes at him and sticking her pointer finger atop his lips, bringing up her thumb, trying to pinch them closed. 

Flynn helps her by pressing them together, ridding the smirk from his face. “I'm sorry, I'm not laughing at you, it's your brother that I find amusing.” he whispered, reaching out to brush the sticky hair off her face and neck. 

“Nik's not funny either.” 

“You know, we can scare them away so they never come back. I bet aunt Jiya and uncle Rufus have something-” Flynn suggests after a beat of silence.

“Impossible.” Alice scoffs, cutting him off. 

_-x-_

When Alice was determined to win an argument she resembled him. He often wondered how his own mother felt when he'd shoot this very same look at her. All scrunched eyebrows and hardened glares, the sheer determination of not being wrong. 

_How did she keep a straight face? How did she find the strength to say no?_

There were so many details he has unwillingly lost about Iris over the years. The sound of her giggles when he'd come home and surprise her. He couldn't remember the made up songs they used to sing during bath time. However, he did know that he never had this problem with her. Her moments of stubbornness were rare and fleeting, and she wasn't at all this argumentative. She had Lorena's gentle temperament. Not an ounce of him in her besides the color of her eyes and his love of horses. 

Iris was delicate, a definition of innocence. A very stark contrast to his children now. With Iris, it was sunshine and castles in the sand on weekends. Sneaking ice cream and cartoons before dinner when Lorena was working late- 

The tiny things a person never really takes for granted, and hardly recognizes the normalcy of, until everything changes. 

His children were never given the opportunity to have the childhood she had. And Iris was never exposed to the life they lived now. She didn't know how to throw a proper punch or kick someone. Never had to memorize an escape protocol – didn't grow up seeing her family carry guns or come home in different period clothing covered in blood. It was deeply unfortunate that the cost of their innocence was knowing just how dangerous their life actually was.

Lucy and Flynn tried desperately to separate the kids from the worse of it, though their children were far too intelligent, and by the time they could understand lying, they understood mom and dad didn't have regular jobs; and the weren't playing pretend. Understood that there was a more complicated reason they weren't in schools or outside playing like kids on television.

Nikola was almost nine the first time Flynn took him out of the safe house to talk to him about gun safety. He's ten now, with the ability to assemble and disassemble a gun, he could shoot and aim with impressive accuracy. Flynn wished that his ten year old son didn't know how to, that instead of an actual weapon skill – Niko should have had foam bullets and wooden stick horses, like other boys had at his age. 

They certainly weren't raising tiny desensitized time bandit soldiers. His children remained sanguine and moral. However, if Nikola had to protect his sister, if his parents weren't around; as awful and terrifying a situation like that may be; it was necessary that he could.

Everything wasn't all grim though; at times there were even moments when everyone, including the time team, forgot they were still fighting in a war. 

When there were lulls in their battles they had plenty of time to believe the delusion of a regular family. Jiya and Rufus had vintage movie and game nights. Wyatt and Jessica would host campouts indoors once a month; and all of their children would gather under sheets asking to hear stories from their past travels.

Jiya and Rufus' twin sons loved hearing about the time their mom saved the team from only a Star Wars reference. Whereas Nikola and Wyatt's son preferred the tales of all the historical figures uncle Flynn has punched (Thomas Edison always got a laugh) – Alice who was not a fan of the scary stuff or the violence only wanted the stories about the medieval castles, princesses, and knights. _Those were also Flynn's favorite._

Days like that, when it was quiet and simple. It was so easy to lose track of time and place.

The fact that they had these stolen moments of a semi-normal life was a gift. 

Flynn only hoped that one day – this will all be some far off memory, that perhaps all their future grandchildren could have the lives their kids deserved and were denied of. 

_-x-_

Alice says something while touching his forearm and it's enough to stray him away from his thoughts. Not enough to comprehend what was said, but he was thankful for it nonetheless. Flynn quickly diverts the conversation, hoping that she doesn't notice that he wasn't paying attention. 

“Tell me something, how come they don't want to take Niko?” Flynn questions, observing her eyelids growing heavier the longer his fingers dusted over her upper arm; tracing random patterns over her skin. Something she found soothing ever since she was a toddler. 

“I- I don't know.” Alice offers meagerly, snuggling deeper into the pillow, shifting a little closer to him. “Do you think they'll want the new baby? When he comes... do you think they'll take him like they took Toby?” 

“It's only a movie sweetheart.” 

Her eyes open dreamily to his. “You travel through time, you're telling me the monsters in movies are pretend?” 

_Dear God..._

“Fair point.” He waits until her eyes resealed before he smiles, his pride becoming overwhelming. 

“I love you.” Alice ushers out through a yawn. Lifting her arm blindly and taking his hand, wrapping her little fingers around his. Three words and the smallest of hands had the ability to fill his eyes with tears instantaneously. 

“I love you more.” Flynn said back, leaning forward so he could lay a kiss to the center of her forehead. “Get some sleep, there won't be any midnight snacks for the goblins tonight. Dad's on guard.” 

“You're really not funny.” One eye cracks open, a hint of a grin toying at her lips. 

Flynn holds her hand even after she drifted off to sleep. The fear that tensed her muscles had long since subsided. Her lips parted as lowly emitted snores started to escape her. He was too wrapped up in Alice to notice that Lucy woke up. Surprised to see her move and then her voice breaking through the quiet. “You're in so much trouble.” Lucy teased in an almost sing-song way, the baby bump making the turn over to face them awkward, when her eyes drop to their still joined hands she laughs. “So. Much. Trouble.” 

“What are you going to do whenever she starts dating?” 

“You think I am going to let her date?” Flynn sighs. 

“Oh god, what will you do when her heart is broken?” Lucy ponders and Flynn isn't completely sure if he was truly meant to indulge her with an answer, or if she was just lost in the thought and speaking aloud. 

“I'll kill them.” He jokes. 

Lucy shakes her head, rubbing a hand over her belly. “I know I wanted another girl, but perhaps another son was a blessing- because if you had to juggle one more daughter I think you'd go even more grey than you already are.” 

She reaches forward and grips his shoulder, giving it a squeeze before dropping her hand and petting down Alice's hair. “You have to talk with Niko, he only listens to you. I know that it's hard Garcia, but she needs to be comfortable in her own room. You're both making this transition very difficult.” 

“It's physically impossible for me to say no to her.” Flynn shifts from looking at Lucy back down to Alice, her chest rising and falling evenly. “When she looks at me with those eyes, and that quivering voice- Lucy it cuts through me.” 

Lucy grips the center of the blanket and pulls it to fit over their daughter. “If you make this a habit, she'll only become more dependent on your presence when she sleeps.” She chides gently. 

“What's so wrong with her being dependent on me?” Flynn whispered under his breath dispiritedly. 

“Do you really want a six year old in our bed each night?” 

She was growing at an alarming rate. Only slightly older than the age he lost Iris. It's not like he doesn't notice how overbearing his protection extended – he knows, he's over protective of both his children. Flynn just couldn't control it. There was still an ever-present fear that something could and will go wrong, that he would wake up one day and find himself drowning in their blood. 

Or worse – that they never existed at all. That this corner of happiness Lucy and Flynn carved out for themselves could just vanish (that it was something completely out of their own control). 

Every time he enters the Lifeboat there's an ache in his chest. A fearfulness that when they return all he'll have are the stories Lucy wrote about them in her journals – and memories that will fail him in time. 

Lucy cups his cheek and breaks him out of his personal disarray, her face was soft with understanding, the pad of her thumb sweeping over his cheekbone. He leans into her palm, kissing her wrist. In the amber light still falling inside from the ajar door he can just make out the wetness that glistens in her eyes. 

“I'll have a talk with Niko in the morning.” Flynn speaks, her fingers slipping into his hair and threading through. He sighs contently when she scratches lightly at the base of his neck. “And I will talk with Jiya, we can build her some kind of _monster be gone_ – something that will give her that feeling of safety.” 

“Garcia-” His name falls from her lips almost inaudibly. Those pesky tears she withheld now spilling over. She starts to lean over the child between them, her stomach nudging Alice in the back. 

Flynn moves to meet her in the middle, furrowing his brows – mouth opening to speak but Lucy shushes him. She licks over her bottom lip before pulling him toward her. Their mouths meet languidly. In the way their morning kisses usually were. 

Even after all the kisses they've shared throughout the years, Lucy still left him breathless and shaken. When she pulls away their foreheads rest against each other. 

She swallows around the lump that forms in her throat, “You're her safety. I never want you to replace that... we'll figure something out. Maybe she can move back in with Nik, for a little bit.” 

Flynn hums. “He might actually enjoy that. I think he secretly hates sleeping alone in this place too.” 

“This place, just like the others, is only temporary, in a few months we'll be out of here.” 

She kisses him chastely, “Give me your hand.” He obliges, closing his eyes as she positioned it over the growing swell of her stomach. Feeling the powerful kicks below the surface. “We have a trouble maker in here. He never wants to sleep and I don't know if I told you, but he's now using morse code in his kicks. Mmm- are you reading, waffles?” 

Flynn laughs, “Midnight waffles... sounds good to me.” 

A solid kick lands right at the center of Flynn’s palm. “I think he’s trying to say that we’re happy you’re home.”

“You might not be once you read over what we did to Ulysses.” Flynn teased. 

“Garcia what happened-” 

“-I'm only kidding, everything is fine.” 

“Ally's right. You're not funny...” She smirked. “Let’s go wise guy. You promised us waffles and he’s getting impatient.” 

_FIN._


End file.
